Fight for Freedom
by allthefandomsaremine
Summary: Cherry Doulerman is a warrior, she has the scars to prove it. For ten long years her town (and those nearby) have suffered under the rule of an ex pirate who took it upon himself to reappoint a king to her land. The only resistance left is Cherry's attempts to overthrow him before it's too late. She has a plan but so does fate when the straw hat pirates are thrown into the mix.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Spoiler warning, if you haven't watched up to (but not including) The Baratie arc, turn back now. Go watch more one piece instead :)**

* * *

**Chapter one - An unexpected visitor**

_Luka pressed the handle of his front door down, preparing to leave his house and family behind forever. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the doorway and scanned the front of the house. A slim figure was sitting in a wooden chair, he could tell she was looking directly at him. Her slender legs were crossed casually, her figure was slumped back in the chair. The fingers of her left hand were gently drumming against the arm rest of her seat, while the right ones were up at her mouth, holding something. __**A cigarette**__, he noted, a flash of anger passing through him. __**No, it isn't my concern anymore. **_

_His fifteen year old sister shifted silently, flicking the butt of her cigarette onto the wooden panelling beneath her and grinding it with the ball of her toe. She looked up at him and crossed her arms, her long red tresses blowing across her face. He stared back at her, painfully aware of how much her face looked like their mothers._

_"Cherry... How..." He started, but was promptly cut off by a snort._

_"Please, I might be your 'little sister'" She said, rolling her eyes at the title, "but there is no denying that I'm a lot better at reading you then you are at reading me."_

_Luka stared at his sister, __**she was tall for her age, **__he decided when he realised that he no longer had to tilt his head down to look her in the eyes._

_"So you really were going to just leave without saying goodbye?" Cherry scoffed, turning to walk down the stairs. It was better if they had this conversation where father wouldn't hear it. _

_They walked in a burning silence, Cherry was radiating anger and Luka sadness. They had always been close, always been there for each other, but that was about to change. Cherry suddenly turned, deciding that they were, in fact, far enough away from the mansion the resided in. _

_"So, why now? Why are you leaving now?" Cherry stared coldly at her older brother. _

_"You know why." Luka said softly._

_"I want to hear you say it." She spat. "I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't believe in me."_

_Luka cringed, "I'm leaving because tomorrow..." he faltered, "tomorrow, there will be nothing left here for me." _

_"You have so little faith," Cherry sighed. "I'm not a child, not anymore. I can defend myself, I can fight." _

_"BUT YOU DIDN'T NEED TO DEFEND YOURSELF!" Luka shouted._

_Cherry looked at him coldly, an odd flash in her eyes. "No, but as a marine," she curled her lip at the word, "you should understand the desire to protect those who can't protect themselves."_

_Luka turned away, not wanting to look his sister in the eye, __**she'll be dead within the week. **__She turned, walking back to the house, he caught the disappointed look in her eyes, a look that he was going to be haunted by for the rest of his life. He turned to continue walking to the dock. He had nothing left here, no reason to stay, so he would leave and follow his dream._

* * *

Cherry flicked her blankets off of her sweaty legs in annoyance, frustrated with the nightmares that have haunted her for the past two years. Lions, ropes, cages and knives all blending together in her mind, causing confusion and fear. It had been two and a half years since she escaped the cells. Well escaped isn't exactly the right word, manoeuvred out of perhaps.

She ran her hand through her thick and wild hair. It was still night time but the full moon lit up her room. Her clock told her it was two in the morning, meaning she only had four hours of sleep. Stretching she rose from her soft mattress and decided to start her day. She hurriedly changed out of her light pyjamas and into a loose shirt and a pair of baggy three quarter pants. She stood for a moment in front of the mirror frowning.

Her fingers brushed at the scar tissue that poked out at the top of her collar. She didn't mind her scars, in fact she liked them, they made her feel like a warrior. Some people though, felt sad when they saw her scars, they reminded them of the sacrifice she had made for them. For her whole town.

_It doesn't matter, I have to come back before I go out to town anyway, _she thought to herself. Cherry then turned and made her way quietly to the front door, grabbing her knife belt on the way past her dressing table. She slipped on her combat boots and took off at a light jog, warming her muscles before she really began training.

Cherry was fast, she was the fastest person on her island, she was strong too, but speed was her weapon of choice. She had fought many pirates over the years, since the marine base her own father was in charge of was completely useless. Ever since _he _came, the marines have never really been the marines. _And they knew it. But still they follow my father's orders without question, disgusting. _Cherry grimaced at the thought of the marines.

She picked up speed, charging to the shoreline that was now within view. When she reached the water's edge she slowed to a walk, wading into the cold liquid slowly. This had been part of her regime for the past five years now, ever since she had mastered the art of sneaking out of the house. Breathing out slowly, Cherry Dipped under the water, letting the icy chill of the sea numb her mind. Then she swam. Cherry loved the freedom she felt whilst gliding through the water, she wasn't afraid of the monsters that hid there, she had already dealt with a few.

Cherry swam for hours, she estimated four, when she saw the sun begin to peek over the horizon. Her legs were aching, so she began to head back to shore, her arms lazily pulling her through the water, when she heard an unexpected sound. A voice.

"I'm so hungry!" a voice whined.

Cherry turned around, sculling water. _How did I not notice this ship beforehand?! _She scolded herself. She swam towards the ship, noting the Jolly Rogers skull and crossbones. _I don't have time for pirates, _she ground her teeth together in frustration, tilting her feet to the outside of her shoes to hit the small mechanism she had built into them two years ago. She felt the embedded knives spring out through the slits in the soles of her shoes as she reached the side of the ship.

Pulling her two knives from her belt she pierced the wood of the ship, carefully so as not to put unnecessary holes in the unknown pirates ship. She did after all want them to sale out of here. She climbed swiftly and peeked over the railing.

There were four members on deck. The first a green haired man napping just opposite her, he had three swords resting on the railing beside him. The second one a young man with a long nose in overalls was mixing together odd chemicals, he was facing away from Cherry, towards her towns port. The other two members were in the middle of an argument.

"WELL YOU WOULDN'T BE HUNGRY IF YOU DIDN'T EAT ALL OF OUR FOOD!" A young woman with orange hair yelled at a man with a straw hat (which, judging by the Jolly Roger, was the captain of the pirate crew.)

Cherry pulled herself up onto the railing and quickly flipped her knives back into her shoes, none of the pirates noticed her as they were too caught up in their own doings. It was amusing to think that this was a group of pirates. Not because of their appearance, Cherry knew better than to judge by that, but because of their behaviour.

The young captain continued to whine, and after a few more minutes of yelling the Orange haired girl calmed down. "This will be a quick stop, we will pick up some supplies and go, it shouldn't take more than a couple of hours." She sighed, "as long as you stay out of trouble." She poked her captain in the chest.

Cherry stood up, "I don't think so," she said, causing the three wakeful pirates to jump and look at her. Cherry was not expecting the reaction she received. The long nosed boy practically burst into tears, screaming something about his demise, and the orange haired woman shrieked and dove behind the mast. Only the captain was left, he looked at her with a confused look on his face.

It was at this point that Cherry realised she did look quite imposing, she was quite tall and the extra inches from the railing she was standing on increased her height. Her eyes were a light green and resembled a cats, her long hair was wild and whipped around her head in the gentle sea breeze. The two thick scars that were visible near her neck weren't the only ones showing either. Each of her wrists had jagged scars around them.

Even the way she held herself was threatening and proud, but that was a part of who she was. She lightly hopped down from her perch and held her hands up in a peaceful manner.

"Relax, that isn't what I meant." She said, "the shops aren't open for the next three days, that's all."

The two panicked members of the pirate crew calmed down slightly. "However, if you cause any trouble." She flashed a glare at all three of them, "I'll take time out of my busy schedule to... _solve _any problems you may have caused." She looked around darkly, before smirking. "Well that's all I had to say. Enjoy yourself at Johiro." She turned, lightly jumping back onto the railing and somersaulting gracefully into the ocean.

* * *

"I'm telling you Zoro, she was eight foot tall and each of her fingernails were as long as daggers. Don't worry though because captain Usopp scared her away." Usopp was helping Zoro catch up on what he had missed while napping.

"Sure Usopp," Zoro said offhandedly. But stopped when he saw Nami glaring at him. "What?"

"I don't want you causing any trouble either!" She had just finished telling Luffy to behave and felt that Zoro was practically as bad as there moronic captain. "We have to stay here for three days. Though I'm not sure if you two can manage to stay out of trouble for that long."

"Hey look a castle, I bet they have lots of meat." Luffy said.

The rest of the crew looked in the direction their captain was pointing. The castle he was pointing at was impressive, it's grey stone walls were sturdy and draped with large gold and white banners. As the ship sailed past they noticed that there seemed to be hundreds of banquet tables, all draped with fancy tablecloths.

Just past the hoard of tables were a sea of chairs split into two groups, a white streak lined with pink and purple flowers separating them. At the end of, what the crew assumed to be a roll of white carpet. An arch with golden streamers wrapped around the beams stood.

"A wedding? That must be why the stores are closed." Nami pondered out loud.

"Will there be lots of food at the wedding?" Luffy asked, already drooling.

The others all shook their heads and steered the ship to an abandoned cove.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys, so this is my second one piece fic, I've been writing this one for ages but I keep changing my mind about things and I've finally decided to make a decision on where it is going. Please leave a review :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two - The Marine Captain And His Daughter**

The straw hats had made their way into the nearby town and instantaneously lost their excitable captain. The streets were buzzing with activity, the footpaths were being swept and shop windows were being cleaned. Flowers and streamers were wrapped around every pole and placed on every window sill. The cheerful decor stood as a stark comparison to the solemn expressions that was painted on every face.

The three straw hat pirates continued searching for their captain, feeling very uncomfortable in the town.

"Nami can we just get Luffy and go?" Usopp whined, "this town is weird."

Nami shook her head, "We won't make it to another island if we don't get more supplies." A thought crossed her mind. "Excuse me," she called to a young woman who was currently sweeping the path outside of a small cafe.

The woman was short and plump, long, smooth hair hung down to her waist, framing her pretty face. She looked up from her work and leaned against her broom handle smiling politely. "yes?" She answered.

"Is there any towns nearby where we could get supplies for our voyage." Nami asked. The woman looked thoughtful for a few minutes before shaking her head.

"All of the nearby villages are busy preparing for tomorrow as well, and those on this island that are unaffected are cut off from us by a three day trip through scrubland. If you need supplies, it would be best if you hang around here until the... wedding..." Her face contorted around the word as though it was sour. "is finished."

Nami opened her mouth to ask where the nearest food source was, hoping they would be able to find their captain, but was interrupted by a loud commotion travelling down the street. She turned and ground her teeth together, expecting it to be Luffy, she was, however, pleasantly surprised to find herself wrong.

A young boy, about the age of twelve, was charging head long down the street with a small sack of round objects slung over his shoulder. Following closely behind the boy was a group of marines. The boy tripped over his feet as he looked back and the marines surrounded him.

"How dare you, you little thief!" A loud voice growled and a man wearing a captains uniform stepped forward. He had thick brown hair and pale blue eyes with a dark scar running from his right cheek up too and across his hairline. "Arrest him!" He ordered.

"But sir, all those who are arrested today are to be immediately executed on the spot. That's the kings orders." One of the men said nervously.

The captain turned around, "well execute him then." He said stepping back.

Two marines stepped forward ,drawing their swords, a grimace on their faces. Zoro grasped the hilt of his sword, but stopped from leaping forward when he caught the glint of a blade in the corner of his eye. As the two swords came down the clang of blade meeting blade sounded through the street.

a young woman, with fiery red hair stood before the two marines, her face shadowed by a silent anger. Her two arms seemed to be in contact with the sword blades at a first glance, but when one looked again they could see the tell tale silver of a knife blade resting against her arms.

There wasn't a single quiver in her body, she stood as though she was a statue, letting the heavy silence fill the air around her.

"Th-th-that's her." Usopp whispered to Zoro.

Suddenly she looked up, not at the soldiers who were holding their swords against her blades, but at the captain who had given the execution order. Her eyes held a clear challenge in them, but he returned her glare in equal measure.

"I don't see a thief here," she said coolly. The two marines pulled their swords back and stepped back beside their captain.

"He stole apples from my own front lawn." The captain growled.

"I gave him permission,_ father_" She sneered at the captain, stepping over the boy so he was now in front of her. Her father ground his teeth in frustration.

"It wasn't yours to give." He snarled.

"Then I shoulder all of the blame. It was a simple misunderstanding on his behalf and a blunder on mine." She said lightly flicking her knife around in her left hand.

The two continued their standoff for what felt like an eternity, before the captain broke eye contact and called his men off. As soon as the men were out of sight the woman turned her gaze down to the thin black haired boy before her, grasping him by the collar and dragging him down the street and into the alley. The words 'stupid brat' the only thing heard by those on the street when she began her rant.

* * *

"You moron. You idiot. Of all the stupid... Argh." She crossed her arms and glared down at Toby, the dark haired child she had gotten out of trouble on numerous occasions.

"We were hungry Cherry, we haven't had anything to eat in three days." Cherry softened slightly.

"Look Toby, I've told you before, if you want food, you just have to ask." She sighed and rubbed her face. "I might not be able to look after you soon, you shouldn't have made Captain Trent an enemy. That was just pure stupidity!"

"I'm sorry Cherry," He looked down at his feet.

"It's ok. Go back to your sister," She pulled a small sack of coins from the pocket of her loose pants. "Here, I don't need this. You should straighten yourself out and get a job." She smiled at the boy, "You're the worst thief I've ever seen."

Cherry gave a long, high pitched whistle and waited for Brego, her beautiful, black stallion, to come to her. She smiled as she remembered first finding him eight years ago. He had been separated from the rest of his herd, just a young colt wandering alone. Cherry had felt for the poor beast and slowly coaxed him into a small paddock using carrots. Now the pair were practically inseparable, she had trained him to respond to the slightest of touches and she had learnt to read his body language as well.

Cherry noticed a movement out of the corner of her eye, but she knew it was only Brego. She turned and admired his delicate movements as he walked towards her. He carried his head and tail high, walking with a certain air of pride she loved and respected. When he reached her, he tilted his head down and gently sniffed her face, nuzzling her hands when she brought them up and stroked his soft fur.

He had very dark brown eyes and a delicately dished face. Cherry smiled, she never put a saddle or bridal on him, she felt it put a barrier between her and her horse whilst riding. She grasped a handful of his mane with her left hand and bounced a couple of times on her toes before lithely leaping up onto Brego's narrow back.

* * *

Usopp shuddered, and collapsed. "That was scary." he said simply

"What is with this town?" Nami muttered and turned back to the woman they were talking too. The blonde was staring after the red head, sadness and anger clouding her gaze.

"Cherry..." She sighed and looked at Nami. A small chuckle fell from her lips, but the expression didn't meet her eyes "Do you really want to know?"

Nami seemed unsure of what to say, _would it be worse to say yes or no? _She wondered. She was confused by what she had seen of this place so far and she was curious, if only slightly, but did the kind woman before her really want to talk about these things?

Noting her hesitation the woman smiled, "Come on inside, I'll make you some tea. I'm Lilly by the way."

"I'm Nami, and this is Usopp and Zoro." She said pointing at the two boys in turn. They all followed her into the cafe and they listened to her story.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys, I've just uploaded a picture of Cherry to Tumblr. If you wish to see it I've put the link on my page. Please leave a review :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three - Johiro's Misfortune**

"ten years ago," Lilly began, "Johiro had a sudden spike in missing children. Over the course of a week, ten kids just vanished. The marines looked everywhere for them, captain Trent was a decent man back then." Lilly poured the three travellers a cup of tea each. "We were soon made aware that the children were, in fact, hostages, and that the old castle was being used to hold them captive. As soon as this was discovered, the marines tried to begin negotiations."

Lilly sighed before sitting down with the small group and sipping on her own cup of tea. "They quickly discovered the culprit behind this terrible crime was a notorious pirate from the east blue, Captain Greystone, known for his love of 'sport'" Lilly wrinkled her nose, "or that's what he calls it anyway. What he really loves to do is pick a 'challenger', someone who he has deemed to have wronged him, and throw them into terrifying situations, that most don't survive."

"Anyway, this really shocked the marines, because the last they had heard, Greystone had headed to the Grand Line. Apparently he had decided to come back and regroup, his crew were worn and tired from the dangerous journey. Originally he only planned to stay here as our 'king' until he and his men had regained their strength, however he decided he liked the power and the title. And here we are eight years later." Lilly sighed.

Nami felt sorry for the poor woman, she could empathise with her situation. But that still didn't explain everything, such as this wedding everyone's been dreading, and the incident in the street earlier. Nami was just about to voice these thoughts when Lilly started speaking again.

"The marines tried to fight back, but they couldn't bring themselves to risk the lives of the children, eventually they were forced to concede to Greystone. " Lilly's lip trembled. "As the punishment for their behaviour, Greystone ordered Captain Trent's wife to be the first victim in his cruel games. She was already a fragile woman, she didn't stand a chance! And all any of us could do was watch as she died, even Trent himself, who was tied up and forced to watch the ordeal. " A tear rolled down Lilly's pale skin.

She gave a sniff and continued. "Trent was never the same after that. He was locked away for two months, and when he came back he was cruel and cold. And just like that our hope died." She gave a small smile. "There was only one person left, a very young person, who kept her spirits high. And that was Cherry. Her brother spent seven years only just keeping her out of trouble, convincing her to stop trying to rebel against Greystone. He was mildly successful, or so he thought. Cherry had been training and sneaking food from her own family's table out to those kids who were orphaned."

"In the end, she couldn't stand back and watch anymore. She's always been a stubborn person. One day, Cherry stood up for one of her childhood friends, she had been caught stealing and was to be sent to the games. But Cherry took her place, and Greystone found the idea of the fiery girl taking on the challenge willingly to be exciting."

"Cherry survived every ordeal he threw at her, and after ninety days of enduring the games, she was released. She is the only person to have survived that long, as well as the only person to be released. We were all so happy, she given us hope, hope that there was a way to beat this monster. And that's when she announced that she had bargained for our freedom and her release. She had made a deal with him."

Nami soon connected the dots, she watched Lilly's face crumple in pain. "Sh-she promised that if he left this island, she would go with him as his wife." She grimaced and pulled herself together. "Turns out her spirit made her a greater treasure than this whole island. The fact that he can't break her maddens him."

* * *

_"Hello Greystone," Cherry drawled from the doorway. She had found the man sitting comfortably at a desk reading a large leather-bound book. He started, not expecting any visitors, particularly not the wild haired girl who had been tied up with a ridiculous amount of in the cellars below. He looked at her blood-stained hands, quickly concluding that it was in fact her own blood, not that of his men. _

_The thick, partially congealed coat of blood that covered both of her hands had formed from her own wounds. "You're getting blood on my carpet." The tall grey haired man said, glaring at his intruder. _

_She shrugged, "it's red anyway." _

_Greystone looked at the girl before him. She was driving him crazy, __**why won't she die like her mother, or at least break like her father. **__He scowled and snapped the interesting book he was reading shut. "I don't suppose I should bother calling for my guards, since we both know you aren't going to kill me." He motioned to a seat off to the side of his desk. "So please tell me your proposition"_

_Cherry whipped the seat around and sat opposite him, Crossing her legs and leaning forward in her chair. __**Well, I guess this breaks every stereotype I've ever heard about a villain. **__Cherry thought. The man before her was not exceptionally hideous, though he was too old for her to consider him attractive. He seemed to be relatively intelligent as well. But of course she didn't expect him to be a stupid brute. He was a cruel and clever man and that bothered her more than anything. _

_She smiled politely, "well," she said. "I would like to negotiate your departure from this island." He snorted in disbelief, unable to comprehend how someone who has been so powerless for the past seven years could have the audacity to make such a request. _

_He held up his hand. "While I commend you on surviving The Games for this long, as well as escaping the cells three times, I doubt you have the power to remove all of the hostages at the exact same time." He looked up at her, "and you aren't so ruthless as to risk their lives by killing me." _

_Cherry tilted her head in agreement, "that's true. But I know your weakness." She smirks across the desk and Greystone narrows his eyes. "For the past seven years, you've always gotten what you want, without fail. You have grown accustomed to it, you enjoy it." _

_She looked at her nails, as though they were discussing something as common as the weather, before returning her steady gaze to meet his eyes. "However, you've also grown bored. I can see it, you don't even enjoy watching people being torn limb from limb anymore, it's lost its air of excitement. Well, until I came along." She smiled._

_"Get to the point," Greystone growled at the fifteen (nearly sixteen) year old girl in front of him. He hadn't a clue where she was going with this, all he knew was that he longed to clip her wings, take away her spirit and then kill her. _

_"Well, I believe, that at this point, killing me just won't be enough." She paused, taking the silent glare from the man before her to be confirmation enough. "You want me to suffer, to break, just like my father. Unfortunately for you, just locking me up won't be enough, as you can see." She pointed to her wrists. "I can escape from even a wire binding, I know that I am free to go at any given moment." _

_**That clever little bitch. **__Greystone thought, staring at the smirking red head before him. He kept a passive face, not giving way to his sudden realisation. __**She's telling me her weak spot, using it as a bargaining chip. Most wouldn't be so bold. **__He had to give her credit for her strategy._

_"I think that you are a bright man, Greystone, I think you already know what will break me. But just in case I'm overestimating you, I'll be straight-forward. If you __**truly **__take away my freedom, you will crush my spirit." She sat back in her chair. "I give you my word that I will go with you, where ever you decide to go once you leave. I'll give you my freedom, and you can watch the life slowly drain out of me."_

_Greystone laughed, it didn't reach his eyes. "You are a conniving witch!" He stood up abruptly and stalked around his desk. "Perhaps I should try and find another way of destroying you," he said, grasping her by the throat and hefting her onto her feet. She stared back defiantly. His hand began to snake its way up her thigh._

_"I won't hesitate to kill myself." She stated, the icy tone leaving no doubt in Greystone's mind, that she wasn't bluffing. "I won't let you see the torment in my eyes, because that's what you really crave, to see the someone's soul crack in two." He growled, dropping his hand and lowering her back into her seat. _

_"Alright then, Cherry." He sneered at her, "I'll make a deal. Two months after your eighteenth I will marry you." He looked her up and down. "Hopefully those wounds will not scar too much. And those two years will give me some more time to enjoy myself" _

_"Marry?" That suggestion caught her off guard._

_"Yes, marry." He said. __**She'll be forced to tie herself to me and I'll force the rest of the town to watch helplessly. **__He smirked._

_Cherry shook off the shock of the odd request. "Fine. I concede to those terms, as long as I am granted my freedom from the cells." She smirked at the man, "Officially of course, I'd rather not be chased around by your crew and the marines."_

_"It's a deal," he said offering Cherry his large calloused hand. She acceoted the offer before Rising from the chair and walking lightly to the door. "And Cherry, I know you'll try to kill me." _

_She turned, a strange glint in her eyes, "you'd respect me less if I behaved any other way." And then the young woman strolled out of the room. Greystone smirked after her. She was a worthy opponent, he did respect her, but that didn't change his thirst for her demise._

* * *

Cherry forced her eyelids open. _I must have dozed off, _she thought idly. She had found her way out of the town and into a grassy field, where she decided to spend, what was possibly some of the last few hours of freedom she had left, relaxing. She had never planned on dozing off, but the warm sun and the comfortable cushion, that was her much loved companion Brego, had been too much for her sleep deprived body to resist.

She scowled, _I shouldn't be wasting my time thinking about him, it isn't over yet. _She pushed forward and onto her knees, giving Brego a light pat as she went. She didn't have time to sit around any longer, not if she wanted her plan to be successful.

"C'mon boy, time to go home." She smiled to herself. _I'm so close, I know I can finish it tonight. So long as nothing goes wrong, there will be no need to marry that wretched man. _It had taken her two years of scoping, plotting and planning to develop and begin her rescue attempt. But after six months of tireless work she was so close to freeing those children.

Once every month a hostage would be replaced with another child. Those children were kept in different sections of the castle (these sections are altered constantly) , this way if something goes wrong and a guard does not report to their designated check in via transponder snail every twenty minutes, the other children would be executed.

At first Cherry couldn't find a pattern in how they were moving the kids around within the castle, but after eighteen months, she finally noticed a recurring pattern. It was a six month loop, with only one child possibly being moved to a different place. But that child would only be moved if there was a prisoner, which there wouldn't be tonight, as she had requested that her townsfolk would not be taken to the cells, as a wedding gift. Unfortunately that cunning bastard had found an awful loophole in that request.

she had spent the last six months digging a tunnel from Brego's stall, (because no one would check there for a tunnel) all the way to the castle, which was a good kilometre and a half away, using a compass, a shovel and a wheel barrow. She had spread the dirt around, not wishing to leave a large conspicuous pile anywhere. She also had to be careful that no one was observing her whilst dumping it.

She had already mapped out the entire castle, and made the needed calculations for which direction and how far she needed to dig to reach each of her targets, and now she had completed all of the tunnels. All she had to do was wait for the change of shift each guard had and inform the children of her plan and to make a run for it when the next guard changed post. Which would give her three hours to explain her plan to each child in turn. (the guards barely paid attention to their charges as no one had ever attempted to free them.)

She wasn't sure if she could take Greystone on in a fight, particularly since he was a pirate, and pirates generally fight dirty, but she could worry about that tomorrow, when he discovers he's been duped. Cherry stretched out her stiff joints and began to stroll casually towards her home. She decided that to pass the time she might as well do a little bit of training.

* * *

Nami, Zoro and Usopp were nearing the end of their tether. After hearing Lilly's story, the trio had thanked her for the tea and continued their search for Luffy, they had not found a single trace of the mischievous boy. They all found this particularly worrying. Lilly had told them that there were no restaurants open at all, which means Luffy could be anywhere.

Soon the three decided to split up to cover more ground. Of course it didn't take long for the green haired swordsman to find himself out of the town and heading off in the direction of the marine base. Having noticed his inevitable change of surroundings, Zoro paused, before shrugging his shoulders and continuing towards the marine base.

"Are you stupid?" A voice called out from behind him. He turned and realised that it was the same red haired woman he saw before. _I think her name is Cherry_**, **He looked at her in annoyance.

"No," he snapped.

"Then why are you, a pirate, heading straight towards the local marine base?" She asked cocking her eyebrow. "If it's money, don't bother, there isn't really much of that laying around there." She turned to continue across the small dirt track they were on, heading towards an open field.

Zoro thought for a moment, _If Luffy was in there, they'd probably be in an uproar. _"You haven't seen a guy in a straw hat anywhere have you?"

"You mean your captain?" She looked at him. "No." Then she continued on her root.

_Well she was helpful. _Zoro thought sarcastically. _Why is that horse following her? _Deciding it didn't really matter Zoro wandered off, deciding to head back to town. _It was definitely this way. _

* * *

**A/N: Well here we go, not really sure what to say down here about this chapter, anyway I was thinking about writing a prequel of sorts. About the time spent in the cell. I'd like to hear your thoughts on that so please review. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four **

Zoro was yet to find his captain, or the town he was looking for. Instead he had found himself in front of a mansion. "Luffy" he called, not really expecting an answer. Shrugging to himself when there was no response he moved on, making his way between a stable and the side of the mansion. Reaching the end of the wall he scanned his surroundings.

He was now in, what appeared to be, a simple back yard. There was a tall oak tree with a small bench underneath it to his left and to his right there was nothing but dry grass… and what appeared to be a red-haired woman training. Zoro took a couple of steps forward, feeling that he recognised her from somewhere.

_Cherry, the girl from before. _He watched her for a minute before continuing forward, between the tree and Cherry. She had a very interesting technique, she used four knives to fight, one in each hand and one on each foot. She seemed to have very good control of her blades and lightening quick reflexes. _She'd be an interesting opponent. _He thought, watching her out of the corner of his eye.

She suddenly stopped and flicked the knife around in her hand, facing the back of the blade to her fore arm and struck the make-shift training dummy with her knife. "Oops," she said as she watched the lifeless head flop uselessly to the ground and grimaced. She stiffened slightly and as though she had sensed his presence, turned to face Zoro.

He kept walking, he didn't have time for her. He had to find his captain before he did something stupid.

"Hey!" She called, jogging over to him. He paused, waiting for her to reach him.

"What?" He replied stiffly. She still had her knife in her right hand, but she was flicking it around casually. He rested his arm on the hilt of his swords.

She raised an eyebrow at his tone, "I was just wondering why you could possibly be walking across my land." She replied. "Your captain isn't here."

"That's why I'm leaving." He said and began walking again.

Cherry pinched the bridge of her nose. "Where, exactly are you going?" She said, her voice holding a hint of amusement.

"Back to the town." He said, not breaking his stride.

"It's the other way." She said pointing back the way he came.

Zoro turned around, feeling slightly embarrassed, and made his way back to the front of her house. She followed him and then gave him directions. "just follow the drive through the gate down there and turn left at the path. There's no way you can get lost." She said turning and walking up the front steps of her house.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

While everyone was busy looking for Luffy in the town, or in Zoro's case, Cherry's mansion, he had managed to find himself in what he would consider to be heaven. Currently, he was in the castle's kitchen, staring at the large stockpile of food. His mouth was open and drool was beginning to pool at his feet.

Unfortunately for the young pirate he was discovered before he could devour the mountain of food before him. "Who are you and what are you doing in here?" A voice demanded, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him from the pantry.

Luffy looked at the man who had interrupted what was about to be, the feast of his life. He was wearing a chef's uniform and had a very rounded belly. His face and hands were very tanned and his nose and eyes were small, like a teddy bears. A small frown had taken place of his usual broad grin. "I'm hungry," he said.

The man paused, completely flabbergasted by Luffy's casual response. His mouth opened and closed a few time like a fish before he managed to spit out an intelligible sentence. "Why in god's name would you come here for food! This is the castle! You don't come here unless you absolutely have too."

"Borris, who have you got there." Borris's face paled.

"J-j-just a young boy." He stammered.

"What is he doing in my castle?" The tall grey-haired man asked with fake politeness.

"I was hungry so I was looking for food." Borris, nearly collapsed at the boy's honest statement.

The grey-haired man laughed and slapped the boy on the shoulder, "is that so? Well Borris, what are you doing here? Go make a meal for our friend here." Borris clambered away from the two and ran back into the kitchen.

"Now tell me, my young friend, you are one of those pirates that came in this morning, aren't you?" He said as he led Luffy to a large dining hall.

* * *

Cherry was quietly finishing her cup of coffee. She had changed out of her long sleeved top, and long pants, Doning instead a tight singlet and some loose shorts. She stared out the kitchen window, watching as the gentle breeze blew a handful of leaves across the simple garden bed.

When her mother was alive the garden had been lively and full of colour, now it was maintained by one gardener, who hadn't much passion for the thing. Cherry, was only like her mother in appearance, she couldn't garden to save her life. Not that she'd want the hassle of maintaining the damn thing.

Taking one last sip she put her cup down on the bench. She did not plan on cleaning it, so she knew it would be there when her father came home. That was her way of taunting him, he couldn't control her as he had lost her respect.

She looked over the garden once more, savouring the sight. _This could be the last time I see it. _She thought sadly, _No! You can't think like that! _Moving on she walked out of the kitchen and into the dining room, to stare out at the oak tree she had climbed on many occasions. Reaching the window she stared out at her back yard. She had spent most of her childhood in the back yard, play-fighting with her brother.

Once, when she was only four she had climbed the oak tree and gotten stuck in the top branches of the tree. Unable to climb down, Luka had climbed the tree and rescued the young red-head. From that day forward he used the nickname kitten when teasing her. _God I hated that nickname. _She thought sourly, about to turn away from the window.

Then a movement caught her eye, _what in the world? _She thought, storming out of the dining room and through the back door. She crossed her arm and watched the idiot of a man wander around for a few seconds, looking mildly confused.

"What, are you doing back here?" She asked rubbing her hand back down her face. He turned and looked back at her.

"I thought this place looked familiar," he said. _He got lost? How is that even possible!? _Cherry gaped at the man.

"I put you on a straight path to the town… and you ended up back here?" She said hardly capable of understanding how one could be so directionally challenged.

He huffed, clearly not ready to admit that he had a problem. "You gave me bad directions."

Cherry shook her head and glanced at the horizon, she still had plenty of time. "That's it, I'm taking you to town myself." She said before letting out a low whistle.

Brego, who had been grazing in a field nearby, galloped over to cherry. She swung herself up onto his back and they approached the scowling swords man. "Get on the horse." Cherry said, shaking her head at the man wounded pride.

He looked at the horse, then at her determined expression and huffed before accepting the hand she offered him and clambered onto the stallions back. _Pirate hunter Zoro! _Her brain finally threw out for her. Clicking her toungue Brego moved into a graceful walk.

"Are you Roronoa Zoro?" She asked

"Yes."

Cherry nodded, then twisted slightly to face him. "Have you ever ridden a horse before?" She asked

"No."

A small smile spread across her face. "Well it's probably best you hold on then." She said pushing Brego into a canter and aiming him at the closed gate, which was about a metre tall.

As they soared over the metal barrier she grasped the pirate hunter by the front of his shirt, just before he fell off, her other hand tangled in the stallions thick mane. Recovering his balance he shifted forward and wrapped his arms around her waist.

* * *

_She's crazy, _he thought, as the horse sailed over the sixth log so far, this one came up to the horse's nose. They landed safely on the ground. Her horse never faltering. Zoro felt relief sweep through him when he saw the town fast approaching. The black horse slowed to a quick walk and they made their way swiftly through the town.

"Woah" Cherry said gently, petting the horse's neck. Within moments the girl was standing on her horses broad back and shouting at the familiar café they had stopped in front of.

"Lilly!" She called with her hands cupped around her mouth. The woman stuck her head out of the second story window. "You haven't been picking up strays by any chance have you?" Lilly smiled down at her when she noticed Zoro.

"You're one to talk," she said before hurrying down stairs to meet them. She opened the door, revealing the two straw hat pirates drinking another cup of tea, looking completely defeated. Cherry shook her head and jumped off of her horse.

"He kept turning up at my place, he was ruining the view so naturally I escorted him hear myself." She looked slyly at Zoro as he slid off of her black stallion. "Otherwise he would have gotten lost again."

"But it's impossible to get lost from your house."

"That's what I thought."

Zoro ignored the women who were currently teasing him and walked over to the rest of his crew. "Didn't find him either?" They both shook their heads.

"Oh well, he'll turn up." Zoro sat down in the free chair besides Nami.

"Would you like a cup of coffee?" Lilly asked Cherry.

"Why not, I've got time to spare." She answered, swinging the chair next to Ussopp around so she could sit on it backwards. "Hi," she said offhandedly to the three pirates before her.

Ussopp shifted away from her slightly, remembering how frightening she had looked when she had appeared on the Going Merry this morning. She turned and looked at him, amusement shining in her eyes.

"No terrifying my guests," Lilly called over to her when she noticed a mischievous look on her friends face. Cherry pouted and rested her head on her folded arms, which were hanging loosely over the back of the chair.

"You're no fun," she mumbled.

"Shut up and drink your coffee," Lilly said. Her expression was soft, a mixture of fondness and sadness. "I assume you've heard about their missing captain?"

"Yeah, it worries me a little." Cherry grimaced, hoping the hunch she had was wrong and that he was just lost in a field or something. That was an easy fix.

Lilly chewed her lip. "You'd be able to find him if he left the town right?"

Cherry shook her head. "I don't know the tread of his shoe. Plus, the amount of area I'd have to cover is too much. I don't have time"

"Cherry's the best tracker there is," Lilly stated noting the looks of confusions the pirates had. She turned back to the red-head, "you have a clue as to where he is don't you."

"No." She shook her head fiercely. "He can't be there Lilly, he gave me his word…" She suddenly slapped the table and paled.

Cherry leapt from her seat and flew out the doorway, spring up lightly onto her waiting stallion. Before flying down the street from whence she came. The other four who had witnessed her sudden departure peered out the door. Zoro glanced at Lilly, "You know where she's going." She nodded and headed back into the shop.

* * *

**A/N: Hi guys, sorry for the wait, and sorry if this is poorly written, I'm going to blame it on the fact I have whooping. :) **


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